Chase Helps Parents Teach Children to Save With Practical Tips.

CHICAGO -- Events at Chase Tower Connect 'National Teach Children to Save Day' and 'Bring Your Daughters and Sons to Work Day'

Chase is helping parents instill the value of saving in their children by offering practical tips for building good savings habits on Chase.com. Parents can access the tips from the Chase.com sign-on page or directly at www.chase.com/savingisfun.

Chase, the consumer banking business of JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM), posted the tips this week in recognition of the American Bankers Association's 10th Annual National Teach Children to Save Day, which falls on Tuesday, April 25 this year.

"In 2005, American consumers spent all their disposable income and also depleted their savings, resulting in a negative personal savings rate for the first time in decades. Chase wants to help reverse this trend for future generations," said Michael Cleary, Chief Operating Officer of Chase's Consumer Bank. "One important way to do that is to teach children about saving as soon as they are old enough to understand the basics of money."

Chase also will distribute youth-focused literature and DVDs to children at Chase Tower on April 25 and on April 27.

Combining Two Special Days for Youth

Tuesday, April 25, is National Teach Children to Save Day and Thursday, April 27, is Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. Chase is taking advantage of the closeness of the dates to extend lessons on saving.

"With hundreds of employees bringing their children to work at Chase Tower Thursday, it's a perfect opportunity to not only teach kids about earning money, but also about managing it," Cleary said.

The DVD features 12 one-minute-long episodes from the Emmy-nominated Money Farm series, which was produced by WTTW-Channel 11. On the DVD, students from Chicago area schools share lessons on the history of money, spending, saving, donating, investing and using credit. The accompanying activity book reinforces the DVD's lessons and is geared to elementary and middle school children.

The DVDs and booklets will be distributed to children in the lobby of the Plaza Market Bistro in Chase Tower, 10 S. Dearborn St., from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on both days. Chase also will host other activities to make both days a fun learning experience for children and teens.

Tips for Parents

Beginning this week, Chase is highlighting tips to help parents teach children of all ages about saving. Here are the five simple tips:

Turn gifts into lessons.

Encourage young children to save a portion of cash gifts they receive for birthdays and other occasions. Talk to them about how long it might take to save enough money for something they want, such as a new toy or video game.

Let them keep the change.

At the end of each week, give your child the loose change from your purse and pockets. Keep it in a clear container so they can watch it fill up. When the money reaches a certain line on the container or when the container is full, let your child decide what to do with the cash. Your child will learn quickly about the trade-offs that come with making a decision, how much things cost, and how quickly savings can be spent.

Take their allowance to the bank.

If you give your child an allowance, consider setting up automatic deposits of a portion of the amount from you checking account into a children's savings account. Talk to your child about how interest helps money grow and encourage him or her to monitor the account's growth through your bank's online banking site.

Help them track their cash.

Children will "waste" money. Encourage them to learn from their spending practices by keeping track of how much money they spend each week and what they spend it on. This can be a real eye-opener and can help them to see where they might be able to spend less in the future and save the money for something they want more.

Talk to them about your family's financial goals.

Family finances are sometimes viewed as a taboo subject. But sharing your savings plans with your children can help them understand how to set long-term goals and avoid unnecessary debt. Talk to older children about your plans to save for big expenses, such as a family vacation or new furniture. If you have a 529 or other college savings plan for your child, talk to him or her about the money you put into the plan and why.

About Chase

Chase is the U.S. consumer and commercial banking brand of JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM). Chase has more than 100 million credit cards issued and serves consumers and small businesses through more than 2,600 bank branches, 7,400 ATMs and 280 mortgage offices as well as through relationships with over 15,000 auto dealerships and 2,500 schools and universities. It also serves more than 25,000 commercial banking clients, including corporations, municipalities, financial institutions and not-for-profit entities with annual revenues generally ranging from $10 million to $2 billion. More information about Chase is available at www.chase.com .